OFI 1507: Grandpa's Wisdom, A Nudge From A Teacher = An American Star Nomination | FFA SAE Edition | Terrance Crayton | Wetumpka High School FFA

In today's episode, I finally get to the other half of the story. In my previous interviews with Case Edwards, who is an American Star Finalist this year, he has always given all the credit for his accomplishments to a classmate of his named Terrance Crayton. When Case was a sophomore and Terrance was a junior, Terrance approached his FFA advisor and suggested that their chapter have a small engine team. His advisor said, "sounds good, you put it together, teach it and run it" and Terrance did. At Terrance's suggestion this is where Case got his first exposure to small engine repair, and it has now propelled him all the way to being an American Star Finalist in the category of placement.

In and of itself, that is an amazing story, but of course there is more. Terrance is also an American Star Finalist. That is right, both he and Case, will share the stage as American Star Finalists this year at the National FFA Convention. Terrance's category is agribusiness. Since he was in the 9th grade Terrance has been repairing people's equipment and small engines for them. At first he relied on his grandfather to drive him from place to place, but eventually he saved enough of his money to purchase his own pickup which he turned into a service truck for small engine repair.

Terrance's business grew and grew with the help of word of mouth advertising as well as Facebook Marketplace. Today he is studying Ag Education at Auburn University, and this time next year he should be employed as an FFA Advisor. Terrance gives credit to his grandfather's ability to teach mechanics to him for giving him the interest in small engines. He gives credit to a typo on a class schedule that put him in an "Ag" class rather than the "Art" class that he wanted. And he gives credit to his ag teacher who kept nudging him into FFA activities until he finally totally committed and his accomplishments in the FFA really took off.

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agribusiness

HIGH SCHOOL: Wetumpka High School, Wetumpka, Alabama

MASCOT: Indians

FFA ADVISOR: William Norris

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR TERRANCE CRAYTON:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Wetumpka High School website:

Terrance's FFA Advisors' Email Address: [email protected]

Wetumpka High School's Telephone Number: 334-567-1178

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's)

Support FFA

Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world. FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

"Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack

More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald: